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Born in
Torremaggiore,
Italy in 1891
At 16 Sacco
emigrated to the US
in 1908 to Milford,
Massachusetts.
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Sacco began attending weekly meetings of
anarchist group, in 1913
He began to subscribe to an anarchist newspaper
published by Luigi Galleani.
Sacco became a devotee of Galleani and spent
the next several years writing for the paper,
donating and soliciting funds for anarchist
activities
In 1917, Sacco met Vanzetti shortly before the
two, along with several other anarchists, moved
to Mexico to avoid conscription for World War I
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Vanzetti was born
in Villafelletto, Italy
in 1888
Vanzetti’s mother
contracted cancer
and died in
Vanzetti’s arms.
To deal with the
pain, Vanzetti set
out for the United
States in 1908.
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After reading books on political philosophy,
he moved toward anarchism.
He soon began receiving the same anarchist
newspaper that Sacco read and wrote for.
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An Italian anarchist
who advocated
revolutionary
violence, including
bombing and
assassination
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published a periodical that advocated violent
revolution, and an explicit bomb-making
manual
At the time, Italian anarchists – in particular
the Galleanist group – ranked at the top of
the United States government's list of
dangerous enemies
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The "Red Scare" was "a nation-wide anti-radical
hysteria.
The first Red Scare began following the Russian
Revolution of 1917 and the intensely patriotic
years of World War I.
On June 2, 1919, in eight cities, eight bombs
simultaneously exploded.
One target was the Washington, D.C., house of U.S.
Attorney General Palmer, where the explosion killed the
bomber, whom evidence indicated was an ItalianAmerican radical from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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The Media promoted two ideals:
Xenophobia is defined as
"an unreasonable fear of
foreigners or strangers
Hysteria, describes
unmanageable emotional
excesses. People who are
"hysterical" often lose
self-control due to an
overwhelming fear
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Slater-Morrill Shoe Company, April 15, 1920
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Frederick Parmenter, a paymaster, and Alessandro Berardelli, a
security guard
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Robbers had approached the two men as they were transporting
the company payroll in two large steel boxes to the main factory
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Berardelli, was cut down as he reached for his gun on his hip;
Parmenter, who was unarmed, was shot twice: once in the chest
and a second time - fatally - in the back as he attempted to flee
The robbers seized the payroll boxes and escaped by climbing
into a waiting getaway car, a dark blue Buick, which raced off
with the robbers firing wildly at company workers nearby.
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Police suspicions regarding the Braintree
robbery-murder centered on local Italian
anarchists.
While neither Sacco nor Vanzetti had a criminal
record, the authorities knew them as radical
militants and adherents of Luigi Galleani.
Police speculated the robbers were motivated by
the need to finance more bombings.
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On May 5, 1920, Sacco and Vanzetti were
both arrested. In addition to the two
murders, Vanzetti was further charged with
the theft of $15,776.73 from the company
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Born in 1857,
Webster Thayer
He was appointed a
judge of the
Superior Court of
Massachusetts in
1917
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In 1920 he rebuked a jury for acquitting an
anarchist of violating a criminal anarchy
statute
Boston Globe reporter said of Judge Thayer’s
behavior at the trial that “[H]e was conducting
himself in an undignified way, in a way I had
never seen in thirty-six years.”
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The main evidence against the men was that they were both
carrying a gun when arrested.
Some people who saw the crime taking place identified
Bartolomeo Vanzetti and Nicola Sacco as the robbers.
Both men had alibis.
 Vanzetti was selling fish in Plymouth while Sacco was in Boston with his
wife having his photograph taken.
 The prosecution made a great deal of the fact that all those called to
provide evidence to support these alibis were also Italian immigrants.
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The trial lasted seven weeks and on 14th July, 1921, both men
were found guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to death
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They requested a retrial but this was denied by Judge Thayer
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On Sunday August 21, more than 20,000 protesters
assembled on Boston Common.
 Sacco walked quietly to the electric chair, then shouted
"Farewell, mother."
 Vanzetti, in his final moments, shook hands with guards
and thanked them for their kind treatment, read a
statement proclaiming his innocence, and finally said, "I
wish to forgive some people for what they are now doing to
me."
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Violent demonstrations swept through many cities,
 including Geneva, London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Tokyo.
 In South America wildcat strikes closed factories.
 Three died in Germany, and protesters in Johannesburg
burned an American flag outside the American embassy.
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Many historians, have concluded the Sacco and
Vanzetti prosecution, trial, and aftermath constituted
a blatant disregard for political civil liberties.
Some critics felt that the authorities and jurors were
influenced by strong anti-Italian prejudice and
prejudice against immigrants widely held at the time.
Others believe the government was really prosecuting
Sacco and Vanzetti for the robbery-murders as a
convenient excuse to put a stop to their militant
activities as Galleanists, whose bombing campaign at
the time posed a lethal threat, both to the
government and to many Americans.
Due to national security was it justifiable to
execute Sacco and Vanzetti?